Accommodations

Cue the music... "AT LAST"! I am finished with my tedious assignments for school. With my fresh sense of renewed freedom, I decide to do the most exciting thing I can think of, apart from watching Vampire Diaries, and that is update my blog with some updates on the wedding.

Previously, Rod and I were debating on where to stay in Maui. We narrowed it down to two places: Waliea or Lahaina.

Wailea is a beautifully crafted place, and it is particularly interesting because everything is artificial. It is located in the driest part of the island, and yet perfectly manicured green lawns and rich Hollywood-esque buildings canvas everywhere the eye can see. The land would not be able to support such lush vegetation without constant rain and care; the green lawns, the perfectly prim palm trees, the uniform, crisp white buildings and wonderful fresh growing flowers are all intentionally arranged as Wailea, as it appears today, is entirely fabricated from an architect's vision and it has been perfectly maintained ever since its birth. If you were to search it on Google maps and street view it, I am sure you'd see someone using a golf-cart to transport themselves from place to place. This place upholds the image of total Luxury.

The problem is that the hotels are quite pricey and they have terrible reviews. The hotels are minimal, the villas are poorly maintained and bug infested and the staff is snooty to boot. Any half decent accommodation is not really on the beach. You would pay a lot of good money to stay somewhere far away and you would have to use transportation to get to and from the beach--which gets tiring. It is not a simple walk away or come and go as you please... it is far.

For some reason, people think of beach when they think Hawaii, and we don't want to disappoint. Also, I am the first of my friends to take the plunge into marriage, so everyone else is pretty much single or still young enough to be partying. That's not Wailea. In Wailea there is zero night life. Everything closes early, there is no club to dance in, probably just one tame bar that closes shop early (from what I remember) and no entertainment. Thus, it would be entertaining for the first few moments, but after the novelty wears off, it would be pure misery for everyone. Nobody wants to relive a Stephen King novel now... not when we've flown all this way to visit paradise and share some amazing and very important moments in our history together!

Lahaina, on the other hand, has everything. We considered one specific hot spot called Ka'anapali beach where there's night life, great places to stay, great beach, and it is close enough to all the places to go. There is a place where you can book tours at a decent rate and see attractions. There's a shopping area called the Whaler's Village--which is much cooler and classier than it sounds--Close enough to go walk and enjoy this amazing place. There is entertainment, hiking and swimming and snorkeling and surfing and wildlife. There's a place called Black Rock point where the Sheraton is located and every night, they hire a cliff diver to preform a ceremony and dive off the cliff. The ceremony is in honor of tradition where the last chief of Maui, Kahekili (Thunderer)actually jumped off the very same rock. It was supposed to be a point where the spirits met and only if you were dead or an immortal (a God) could you transcend through this rock. Kahekili jumped off the rock to prove his strength and win the favor of his people. Now, Rod and I considered staying at the Sheraton Maui, as there are fantastic reviews and it seems to be 'the place' to stay. However, when we considered most of our friends would not be able to afford it and frankly, we're spending a lot already, so neither could we... plus, there's something much cooler about staying in a place together with the people who are closest to us. So, we want to be where our friends are, and that's right beside (or behind, depending on how you view the situation or from which building you're in) the Sheraton. We decided to stay at The Outrigger resort called the Maui El Dorado. It's really cool, and the reviews on Trip Advisor seemed favorable. The price is fantastic, and after reviewing it at length, Rod and I came to the conclusion that this (apart from the Sheraton) is the best place to stay in Maui. Their two bedroom suites go for about $200/ night. There's a kitchen and two sofa beds in the main suite area, a lanai and two separate bedrooms. It can sleep up to 6-8 people, so once you divide the cost, you're getting a really good bargain. If you're a couple and want to do a separate room thing and don't want to split the suite with another couple or with friends, you can see if you could find a deal online through Travelocity or Expedia for a single room suite or you could do as Rod and I did and search for your own lovenest on VRBO. Bottom line, this place is cool... there's even a gorgeous golf course across from us.

Sometime last week, Rod and I were satisfied with our months upon months of research and we booked our own room. We did it... so can you!

Do some research if you want a specific room, if you go on Trip Advisor, you can weed out which rooms are dated, and figure out which buildings to request, as some buildings or rooms are far more superior than others for the same cost.

Note: If you book through VRBO you will have to pay the deposit now. If you book through the Outrigger, you only have to leave your credit card number, but don't have to pay a booking fee or a deposit... not a cent till a few days before arrival.

So excited. Yesterday, Rod and I ate a Hawaiian Pizza while listening to the Coconutz because we're crazy-excited about our trip. I don't even know if we would have liked that pizza on normal terms, but we were so excited, it tasted fantastic and we just loved every moment of it.